This invention relates generally to archery and more particularly to sights for bows.
The original sights used for bows were rudimentary devices and provided, at best, an approximation. These included preset notches through which the target was sighted. One such sight was described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,574,599, entitled "Sighting Device for Bows and Arrows" issued Nov. 13, 1951, to Stieber.
The problems with such sights was that they did not permit any individual adjustments to compensate for the archer's personal situation such as weight of bow, draw length, sighting technique used by the archer, etc.
Approximately thirty years ago, the use of sights became more wide-spread with the introduction of improved sights. At that time, the archery bows in use were typically either straight bows or recurve bows. The concept was to provide a pin, preset for a particular distance, permitting the archer to maintain visual contact with the target and still adjust for elevation.
Generally these sights were composed of a series of threaded pins arranged vertically to each other. By threading/de-threading the pins during practice shots, and by sliding the pin up or down, the archer adjusted the pin for a particular distance.
To provide for easier visual differentiation of the end of the pin from the background, the pins typically contained a sighting bulb at their end. This bulb is a change in diameter (larger or smaller), a different color from the rest of the pin, or the like so that the end (the sight) can be easily identified.
Once the sight is set, in the field, the archer estimates the distance to the target, say 50 yards, and determines which pin is set for 50 yards. By placing the sighting bulb of the "50 yard" pin on the target after drawing back the bow, the archer automatically compensates for the correct elevation and maintains visual contact with the target.
Some of these type of sights are described in: U.S. Pat. No. 4,309,827, entitled "Adjustable Sighting Device for Archery Bows" issued Jan. 12, 1982, to Larson; U.S. Pat. No. 4,696,517, entitled "Range Finder and Bow Sight Device" issued Oct. 10, 1972, to Larson; U.S. Pat. No. 4,715,126, entitled "Archery Bow Sight" issued Dec. 29, 1987, to Holt; U.S. Pat. No. 4,819,611, entitled "Archery Bow Flexible Sight Pins" issued Apr. 11, 1989, to Sappington; U.S. Pat. No. 4,449,303, entitled "Sighting Screw Unit For and With Archery Bows" issued May 22, 1984, to Larson; U.S. Pat. No. 3,849,894, entitled "A Verticality Indicator and Adjustable Sighting Device for Archery Bows" issued Nov. 26, 1974, to Brougham; U.S. Pat. No. 3,590,489, entitled "Archery Bow Sighting Device" issued July 6, 1971, to Saunders; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,026,032, entitled "Bow Sight Mechanism" issued May 31, 1977, to Smith.
The new sights permitted the archer a much greater degree of control then was heretofore available and worked relatively well with these older, less powerful bows.
Although these sights did provide greater adjustment to compensate for the individual archer, they were bulky and lacked the ability to compensate for cross wind conditions.
In an effort to proved easy compensation for windage, a series of advancements were made which permitted the archer, in the field, to horizontally move the entire sight.
Some such sights are described in: U.S. Pat. No. 4,170,071, entitled "Sighting Apparatus" issued Oct. 9, 1979, to Mann et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,757,614, entitled "Archery Bow Sight" issued July 19, 1988, to Kudlacek; and, U.S. Pat. No. 4,625,421, entitled "Archery Bow Sighting Device" issued Dec. 2, 1986, to Strauss.
Although these improvements provided for adjustment for windage, they utilized the same basic structure for the holding and adjustment for the sighting pins, that of a screw mechanism. This type of mechanism required separate bulky mechanisms for each sighting pin as well as some mechanism to "lock" or secure the sighting pin in position once it had been properly adjusted.
This bulk, although not a problem with the earlier low powered bows (and hence slower arrows), proved to be particularly troublesome with the introduction of compound bows that propelled the arrow at much higher speeds.
Since the speed of the arrow determines the rate of drop, the sighting pins had to be placed closer to each other. Due to the bulk of the sights (individual screw mechanisms and locking mechanisms) a physical limit on the distance to the neighboring sighting pin was established. The sight limited the archer.
Some attempts were made to provide a set of sighting pins at closer intervals such as the use of beads on a wire. This type of arrangement is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,234,651, entitled "Bow Sight" issued Feb. 15, 1966, to Rivers.
This arrangement did not permit the sighting beads to be adequately secured to the wire. During movement of the bow in the field, such beads were knocked by brush and such causing them to move and destroying their effectiveness.
It is clear from the forgoing that a sight suitable for high speed arrows does not exist.